Game Reviews scoring 8, 9 or 10/10
Review Super Bomberman R 2 (Switch) - A Feature-Rich Return With A Cracking New 'Castle' Mode
"Time to make a comeback!"
Those of you who picked up the Switch during its launch period in the distant early days of 2017 may remember that, believe it or not, there were other games available at launch besides Breath of the Wild. One of those games was Super Bomberman R, which at the time was the title that broke the longest dry spell (nearly a...
Review 30XX (Switch) - Excellent Mega Man X-Style Run 'N' Gunning, With A Roguelite Twist
Zero to hero
Though Capcom hasn’t necessarily abandoned the Mega Man brand as a whole, it’s indisputably reduced how often it produces new games in that celebrated franchise. For example, it’s been 19 years since the last new Mega Man X release (and let’s be real, X8 was a rough entry to end on), but that series now lives on in the efforts...
Review Fae Farm (Switch) - A Thoughtful, Utterly Gorgeous Farm Sim, But Avoid The NPCs
Farming, fishing, friendship... faeries?!
Let's cut to the chase. You're here because you've most likely got a hankering for another farming-type game in your life. In fact, you've probably played most of them already, from Stardew to Harvestella, and you've most likely been burned a few times by games that didn't quite scratch the itch. Now, you're...
(rock)Steady, this is another (be)bop
When we first got our hands on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge last year, we were by no means of the impression that the game was lacking in the content department — this is, after all, what we deemed to be "the best Turtles scrolling beat 'em up ever". A little over a year later, the game's...
Review The Making Of Karateka (Switch) - A Great Start For Digital Eclipse's Gold Master Series
Everybody Do The Kiba-Dachi
Digital Eclipse, following on from Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection, is continuing its trend of going back to the past to rekindle the games that kicked ass. While the Cowabunga Collection was wrapped in comic book paraphernalia and finished with a lick of...
Review Rune Factory 3 Special (Switch) - The Same Great Farm Sim/RPG, Though 'Special' Is A Stretch
Another day of sun
Being a Rune Factory fan has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the past several years. After Rune Factory 4 launched in 2013, the games went on hiatus for nearly a decade, with the fate of the series itself being pretty up in the air for most of that wait. Against all odds, and after a change in development teams and rights...
Review ANONYMOUS;CODE (Switch) - A Spellbinding Sci-Fi Visual Novel In A Flashy Package
A game worth saving (and loading)
For much of the time that Science Adventure fans have known of its existence, Anonymous;Code has been more of a waiting game than, well, an actual game. First announced all the way back in 2016, this sci-fi-heavy visual novel was smacked with delay after delay until it finally saw a Japanese-exclusive release on...
Review Taito Milestones 2 (Switch) - A Better Selection With The Fabulous Triple-Screen Darius II
Score a point over
For the avid retro gamer, the Arcade Archives series has been one of the Switch’s greatest boons. Hamster Corporation has, to date, released 280 titles, and another 108 specific to the Neo Geo hardware, all with a commitment to emulating arcade originals at affordable prices. Taito Milestones 2 is a collection featuring 10...
Review Excitebike 64 - An Underrated Racer That Deserves To Ride With Its N64 Stablemates
Hold onto your handlebars
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival on Switch as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. Of the sports games in the N64 era, Excitebike 64 feels left out of conversation more often than siblings such as Wave Race 64 and 1080° Snowboarding...
Review Trine 5: A Clockwork Conspiracy (Switch) - A Series Best That Proves It Still Has The Magic
Not just another cog
Back when Trine 4 came out, it felt a bit like a hail-mary attempt to recapture the audience that was lost after the disappointment of Trine 3, and the future of the series seemed a bit up in the air. Luckily, that last title proved to be a strong return to form for the series, and after a DLC expansion (on PC) that was also...
Review Sea Of Stars (Switch) - An Instant Classic, So Much More Than A Chrono Trigger Throwback
Your wish is granted
About five years ago, a no-name studio called Sabotage wowed audiences when it put out The Messenger, a creative and innovative action platformer that quickly set itself apart from the deluge of similar retro-flavored titles releasing in the indie space. Empowered by that game’s deserved success, the team then began work on...
Review Shotgun King: The Final Checkmate (Switch) - Chess With Guns? Definitely Worth A Shot
"We will send unto them... only you"
Chess is one of the most ancient games in existence, and while we continue to eagerly await the fabled release of the completely real Chess 2, it can be fun to see how modern game makers choose to iterate on the classic design. In Shotgun King, the latest release from Headbang Club and developer Punkcake...
Review Red Dead Redemption - A Fine But No-Frills Switch Port, For A Fistful Of Dollars
For a few dollars more
Cast your tired minds all the way back through the mists of time to the year 2010. It was a truly great 12 months for video games, with the likes of Super Mario Galaxy 2, the best Mass Effect – AKA Mass Effect 2 – and the juggernaut that is Xenoblade Chronicles all arriving on the scene. It was also the year that David...
Review Blasphemous 2 (Switch) - Bloody, Brutal, And Even More Brilliant Than Its Predecessor
A right rollicking resurrection
We're big fans of 2019's Blasphemous, The Game Kitchen's exquisitely dark and gory action-platformer that saw players assume the role of The Penitent One as he faced off against the eternally damned Denizens of Cvstodia. With top-notch hack-and-slash action, grotesque bosses, an intricately animated pixel art style...
Review The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood (Switch) - A Bewitching Narrative Deckbuilder
Shuffle the hand of Fate
Note: The review text below makes only very brief mention of this game's heavy themes without going into detail, but please note that this game contains references to suicide and self-harm. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood is the latest gem from Deconstructeam (The Red Strings Club) and it’s a spellbinding narrative...
Review Vampire Survivors (Switch) - Kiss Healthy Sleep Goodbye With This Must-Play Roguelike
Something to sink your teeth into
Vampire Survivors is a singular game. Kind of a roguelike, kind of an arcade game, kind of a bullet hell, but at the same time nothing like what you probably think of when those genres come to mind. After all, there's a reason it captured the hearts and minds of gamers and won handfuls of awards on other platforms...
Review Moving Out 2 (Switch) - More Creative Couch-Throwing From Your Favourite F.A.R.T.s
#VanLife
Moving Out built a solid foundation with its barmy physics and multiplayer teamwork. While the original co-op moving sim had huge potential, like an empty house awaiting its owner’s belongings, a renovation was clearly in order for players to truly feel at home. Fortunately, SMG’s sequel has stepped up the Packmore property ladder, its...
Review Quake II (Switch) - Another Truly Outstanding Remaster Of An FPS Icon
Can't find a Bitterman
Look, we already went and slapped a big fat 10/10 on Quake Remastered when it dropped almost exactly two years ago, calling it “a stellar port of one gaming's true greats and an essential addition to your Switch library.” So what on Stroggos are we meant to say about this absolutely cracking remaster of its absolutely...
Review Pokémon Stadium 2 - A Sequel Of Gold (& Silver) Standard
Second gen magic
This review originally went live in 2016, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack N64 library. After all the groundbreaking success that Pokémon's first generation had, it would've only been wise for the powers that be to capitalise on the franchise. How was...
Review Pokémon Trading Card Game - A Cracking Adaptation That Still Holds Up
A rare source of fun or just an uncommon?
This review originally went live in 2014, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy / Game Boy Color library. It’s almost surreal nowadays to think that there was ever a time when portable gaming didn’t have Pokémon. When Red and Blue...
Review Tiny Thor (Switch) - A Neo-Retro Delight That Feels Like A Lost Genesis Game
"Are you tiny Thor, god of tiny hammers?"
Tiny Thor from Asylum Square has been a long time coming. After one of its lead developers came up with a rough cut of its concept in a 48-hour game jam in 2012, its development proceeded in fits and starts for a little over a decade before it finally saw release this past June. Games that spend that long in...
Review Venba (Switch) – A Narrative Cooking Game That Goes Down A Treat
A stirring story
Here’s a recipe for a good game: a meaty cross-cultural story, a dash of delicious food, and a dollop of fun, cosy gameplay. Those are the ingredients of Venba, and mixed together – and topped with a reference to Ratatouille – they form a wonderful narrative-led game that had us wanting seconds. Visai Studios has dished up a...
Review The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Ages - An Engrossing Tale And True Series Classic
A song for the ages
This review originally went live in 2013, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy / Game Boy Color library. Ever since The Legend of Zelda released on the NES, Nintendo has played the franchise relatively close to its chest. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto has had...
Review The Legend Of Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons - An Underappreciated Old-School Adventure
Battle seasoned
This review originally went live in 2013, and we're updating and republishing it to mark the game's arrival in the Nintendo Switch Online Game Boy / Game Boy Color library. The combat of The Legend of Zelda series has seen several iterations over the decades. The classic top-down gameplay of the original was morphed into a faster,...
Review Disney Illusion Island (Switch) - Mickey Mouse's Metroidvania Is Magical
Hot dog!
Back in the days of the Sega Genesis, Disney games like Castle of Illusion and World of Illusion offered some of the best platforming action you could get your hands on that didn’t involve a very fast blue mammal. However, the Illusion series never continued beyond that console generation, and though Disney Illusion Island is technically...
Mini Review Patrick's Parabox (Switch) - An Exemplary Puzzler That Thinks Outside The Box
Boxed in
Patrick's Parabox is the kind of game you have to play to truly understand. This brain-bending puzzler deftly reinvents itself dozens of times over without deviating from its very simple, programmatic rules revolving around infinitude and recursion. Chances are, you've heard of this premise before: push an object around a grid-like playing...
It's a kinda magic
The Might and Magic series is about as ‘old-school RPG’ as it gets—it’s been around since the distant, ancient days of the 1980s. As the series has changed hands a couple of times over the decades, plenty of spin-offs have been generated, with Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes being the one Nintendo fans are likely most aware...
Review Pikmin 4 (Switch) - Relaxed, Refined Real-Time Strategy, Ready To Crack The Mainstream
Dandori glory
Nintendo’s Pikmin franchise, as favourably as it’s always been received by the gaming media, and as much as it has a very passionate fanbase, has never quite managed to establish a proper foothold in what could be considered the mainstream gaming space. The original Pikmin adventure arrived perfectly formed on GameCube, serving up...
Turning lead into gold
The Atelier series has expanded at an impressive rate over the past couple of decades. The most recent game — Atelier Ryza 3 — is the 24th mainline entry in a series that has had a new release almost every year since 1997. However, due to the franchise's more niche appeal, not every entry has made it out of Japan due to...
Review Oxenfree II: Lost Signals (Switch) - Even Better Than The Essential Original
Tuned to perfection?
Playing through Oxenfree II: Lost Signals will feel instantly familiar to anyone who’s experienced the original. Developer Night School Studio hasn’t gone out of its way here to create anything wildly different to its debut title, but has wisely opted to implement everything it's learned over the past seven years or so to...
